More Women Are Wearing Sneakers Because High Heels Are Bullsh*t

A new study confirms women are starting to put their most comfortable foot forward

It looks like heels are on their way out and comfy shoes are in. A recent study found that stiletto sales have dropped by 12 percent and sneaker sales have risen by 37 percent this past year.

That is honestly the best news of the day because high heels are pretty much torture and we’re all collectively done with hobbling around, oozing blisters in tow. Beauty DOES NOT have to equal pain.

Basically, it sounds like women are starting to prioritize their own needs over the aesthetics of a cute six-inch heel — and hallelujah to that.

“Comfort is trending. That is like the number one thing. Women want to be comfortable,” Travis Hutchinson, a manager at Lord & Taylor, told CBS News. “You’re seeing women wearing sneakers with their suits, as well. Pencil skirts, dresses… It’s a huge trend.”

Yup, yup, yup. Also, we’re tired of barely being able to walk anywhere and fearful of all the bodily harm that would happen if we happened to ever lose our balance.

This new shoe trend doesn’t mean that high heels are done for good. It does, however, mean that pumps are being used more for special occasions and there’s less pressure being put on women to wear fancy shoes. There’s nothing wrong with loving and appreciating a good pair of heels — but women shouldn’t feel like they have to wear them if they don’t want to.

“This is not a burn-your-heels moment — the majority of women still have heels in their wardrobes,” Katie Smith, director of retail analysis at Edited, told The Washington Post. “But there isn’t an expectation anymore that if I go to a party, I have to put on my spiky heels, stand for two hours and then want to die. Social mores are changing.”

The people of the internet were generally applauding the study’s findings — and noting that they themselves have already started ditching their heels. Plenty of women took to Facebook to roast the torture devices that they had succumbed to all those years, and it’s a glorious thing.

Amen to all that. Now, while we’re at it, should we revisit the whole burning our bras thing? Because those could probably be considered torture devices at times too.